


Please Don't Forgive Me

by aerintine



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-08
Updated: 2010-10-08
Packaged: 2017-12-12 01:34:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/805611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aerintine/pseuds/aerintine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for the <a href="http://penny-lane-42.livejournal.com/164912.html">Bechdel Test Comment Ficathon,</a> prompt from <a href="http://eleusis-walks.livejournal.com/profile"><img class="i-ljuser-userhead"/></a><a class="i-ljuser-username" href="http://eleusis-walks.livejournal.com/"></a><b>eleusis_walks</b>  "Buffy & Tara, Please Don't Forgive Me."</p>
    </blockquote>





	Please Don't Forgive Me

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the [Bechdel Test Comment Ficathon,](http://penny-lane-42.livejournal.com/164912.html) prompt from [](http://eleusis-walks.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://eleusis-walks.livejournal.com/) **eleusis_walks**   "Buffy & Tara, Please Don't Forgive Me."

 

 

 

  
 “Are you sure it’s okay?"

“Well we won’t know until you try it. Be brave, Buffy.” Tara smiled and lifted her chin. “Brave Buffy.”

Buffy offered a small grin in return. “Don’t try to cheer me up. I’m beyond help, remember?”

Tara narrowed her gaze, mock exasperation painting her brow. “Just put it on. Please?”

Buffy shrugged her arms into the plush sheepskin jacket, looking over her shoulder for Tara’s approval. “Can you see it? Is the stain still there?”

“Nope. All gone. Come see for yourself.” Tara waited for Buffy to face the full-length mirror in her bedroom, then held a hand-mirror up behind her.

“Wow,” Buffy said. “How did you do it?”

Tara smirked. “Magic.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. Then looked worried. “Magic? Really? You didn’t - ”

“Yup. The magic of club soda and cheesecloth. Easy as pie. Works every time,” Tara said, humor lacing her words.

Buffy’s smile faltered. She looked away, toyed with a button.

Tara’s concern was immediate. “What? What is it? Did I say something wrong?”

“No, it’s just.” Buffy sighed, still staring down absently. “It’s too bad club soda doesn’t work for the broken stuff like it does the stains, you know?”

“Oh, Buffy,” Tara said. “Things don’t have to stay broken. You know that, right? Anything can be mended.”

Buffy pursed her lips, busied herself pulling lint from the coat pockets. “You don’t know that. Not when – not when I’m the thing - ” Her voice caught. She tried again, her tone quiet. “Not when I’m what’s broken.”

“You look okay to me.”

“That’s because of my shiny new highlights and my winning smile.” Buffy’s attempt at levity fell short, even to her ears. “You’re not seeing the cracks, Tara. They go all the way through.”

Tara wrapped her hand around Buffy’s wrist, halting her jerking fingers. She nudged her around to face her, waiting for Buffy to meet her gaze. “Haven’t you heard? Sweetie, the cracks are how the light gets in.”

Buffy blinked. Then her eyes softened. “You’re - kinda amazing. You know that right? I’m so glad you’re gay so I got the chance to know you.”

Tara’s brow shifted, her gaze darting. “Um…”

“Uh, I mean, you’re not gay because I know you,” Buffy blurted. Tara’s eyes snapped back to Buffy’s face, wide. “Dammit! No, that’s not what I mean either. I mean, you _are_ gay. And Willow liked it so I got to like it. I mean, you. I like you. I mean, you you, not gay you. Crap.” She gave Tara a pleading look. “Help.”

Tara swallowed a smile and took pity on her. “It’s alright,” she said. “I get it. And I’m glad too. For knowing you, I mean. And I’d love to take credit for the light stuff but really, Leonard Cohen beat me to it.”

Buffy looked puzzled. “Who?”

Tara sighed. “Let’s just focus on the light, okay? And how it’s all in you, doing its healing, shimmying dance.” She took Buffy by the shoulders and gently turned her back towards the mirror. “Can you see it? Shimmy shimmy?”

Buffy looked at Tara’s earnest face in the glass for a moment, then willed herself to meet her own eyes. Her reflection got blurry for a moment as they filled up with moisture. She blinked and wrapped her arms around herself. How long had it been since she'd looked herself in the eye?

Tara placed her arms over Buffy’s folded ones and gave her a brief squeeze. Buffy looked through the mirror at Tara’s face once again.

“It’s gotta be in you too, you know. This light-em-up business.”

Tara stepped back, but kept Buffy’s elbows cradled in her palms. She scrutinized her reflection. “I suppose you’re right. We are bright, aren’t we?”

Buffy’s eyes continued to decide whether to spill over. She sniffed. “Yeah, look at us, all shiny. How’d we do it?”

“Club soda.” Tara nodded firmly.

Buffy laughed. Brushed a hand across her cheeks.

“Yeah, right. Club soda. Works miracles.”

 

 


End file.
